Horrible Harriet lives in the roof of her school and keeps teachers chained in the cellar to do her homework. Harriet and the other children don’t see eye to eye – but all Harriet really wants is a friend.

When Athol Egghead lands in his hot air balloon, Harriet finally meets someone who understands her. Then Mr Chicken arrives to disrupt the whole show! Fortunately Horrible Harriet knows how to handle him…or does she?

Suitable for Years K – 4

From the Program Coordinator: Keeping teachers in the cellar to do homework should give students plenty of great ideas! We are thrilled to have this outstanding company return to Riverside with another HIGH QUALITY PRODUCTION. In 2016, Leigh Hobbs was announced as the Australian Children’s Laureate, recognising that the grotesque and ridiculous are valuable genres of children’s literature. This play features some great underlying messages about INCLUSION, FRIENDSHIP and BEING TRUE TO ONESELF. Curriculum Links: Download the full curriculum links for Horrible Harriet here: Horrible Harriet Curriculum LinksAbout the Venue – Riverside Theatre: 761 seats with around 534 seats in the stalls (ground level). This is the biggest space with a high ceiling, balcony seating, lots of red chairs and a raised stage. Shows in this venue will be the biggest and busiest. There is level seating/ wheelchair access in row P (around the middle of the stalls). Specific Access: Find out about our accessibility options by clicking here Download a social story about Riverside Theatre here: Riverside Social StoryPrice: $20 per student & additional teachers

HOW TO BOOK

BOOK EARLY!We do our best to accommodate everyone, but shows fill fast. Additional performances are not always possible.

USE BOOKING FORM, DOWNLOAD IT OR COMPLETE IT ONLINE

All bookings require a completed Booking Form. Risk assessments and education support materials (where provided) are available online.

SEND YOUR BOOKING FORM TO US

Complete online (preferred), fax, email or post your booking form to Riverside Education Fax: 02 9683 3267 Scan and email: education_riverside@parracity.nsw.gov.au Mail: Riverside Education, PO Box 3636, Parramatta, NSW, 2124. N.B. Please do not send any payments with your booking form. Riverside will confirm your booking and then issue a tax invoice for your deposit. Bookings are made in strict order of receipt. Please ensure you have given a valid email address on your booking form as this is our main method of communication.

RIVERSIDE WILL CONFIRM YOUR BOOKING

Riverside will confirm your booking and invoice the school for a non-refundable 25% deposit. Teachers receive complimentary seating on a 20:1 ratio (unless otherwise stipulated). Once you have paid your deposit, your booking is secure and Riverside will issue an invoice for full payment.

FINAL PAYMENT

Full payment is required 4 weeks prior to the performance date. If we do not receive payment OR proof of your DoE purchase order, we have the right to cancel your booking and you will forfeit your deposit. PUBLIC SCHOOLS – DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION (DoE) PAYMENTS AND RECOMMENDATIONSThe DoE takes 30 days from an invoice being submitted to payment being received by Riverside, therefore we MUST have full payment OR proof that the purchase order has been submitted to the DoE no later than four weeks prior to the performance date.This is a new system for many public schools so we strongly recommend receiving monies and permission slips at least 7 weeks before the payment is due. This will allow any final changes in numbers (subject to availability). We cannot reduce numbers after payment has been received.ALL OTHER SCHOOLS (INCLUDING INDEPENDENT AND CATHOLIC)Confirmation of final numbers and final balance is required four weeks prior to the performance date. A reduction of numbers is not permitted after this date. An increase of numbers is possible after the final payment day but is subject to availability. Please note, all school bookings made within 4 school weeks of a performance date must be paid in full within 1 week of confirmation and are final. There are no refunds or changes to numbers or dates on these bookings.

FINAL INFORMATION SENT TO SCHOOLS

Prior to your visit, we will send you detailed information via email to ensure you have a hassle-free excursion. This will include updating you on any possible changes to running times or more detailed information as it emerges from the rehearsal process.

Mischievous and Cheeky Scallywags

Australian author and illustrator Leigh Hobbs has been delighting children with his subversive humour for over two decades. Best known for his iconic books Old Tom, Mr Chicken Goes to Paris and Horrible Harriet, Leigh was named Australian Children’s Laureate 2016 – 2017. In March, CDP Kids, the team behind the hit stage productions The 13, 26 and 52-Storey Treehouses, The Gruffallo and Mr Stink will bring Leigh’s works to life on stage at Riverside in Horrible Harriet. Ahead of Horrible Harriet landing on our stage, we took some time out to chat to Leigh about his hilarious, wild and wicked characters, the inspiration for them and his thoughts on the importance of the art of writing and illustrating.

INTERVIEWMeet the author of Horrible Harriet, Leigh Hobbs

Your characters, including Horrible Harriet, are notorious for being mischievous and cheeky scallywags. Do you see a bit of yourself in your characters? I admit there’s something of me in all of my characters, though mercifully I don’t think I look like any of them. I mean, who wants to look like Mr Chicken! Fiona the Pig and I share the least traits. She is a bit of a goody two-shoes, while Old Tom and I are similar in a number of ways. Especially the ‘Leigh Hobbs when a seven-year old boy’. He was very Old Tom. Old Tom is the character who I understand the most. Where did the inspiration for the wicked, wild and wonderful Horrible Harriet come from? The inspiration for Horrible Harriet was my twenty-five year stint as a secondary school art teacher. Horrible Harriet is an amalgam of a number of girls who I taught, or tried to teach, while they seemed focussed in class not on my art lessons, but on driving Mr Hobbs crazy. I like creating strong female characters and Horrible Harriet is certainly that. She is sort of a heroine I think. I admire her gutsy-ness. It’s a pity though that like the monster girls in my art classes Harriet’s energy couldn’t be more productively focussed. We absolutely loved seeing your hilarious character Old Tom spring to life from your books in the animated television series which played on ABC Kids. What is the most exciting about having your books adapted into different formats? It’s exciting to have my characters adapted into other formats because I and others can see them in a new light. And more kids get the chance to see them. They are brought to life often in a way that hadn’t occurred to me. And how wonderful for them to have a life in books and out. At school, drawing was the subject you excelled the most at. What do you think is the importance of people being able to experience and practice the arts from a young age? I think it’s extremely important for kids to feel free to write or draw or to play a musical instrument at school. To just experience and enjoy those artistic pursuits without the pressure of assessment and ranking. I think there is far too much accent on assessment nowadays rather than letting children, in certain contexts and subjects create, draw, paint and write purely for the pleasure of it. Free from the fear of failure.

Leigh Hobbs in his studio. Photo by Sergio Fontana

Horrible Harriet truly is horrible. Your third book in the series, Horrible Harriet’s Inheritance, had us in absolute hysterics from the moment we opened the book, starting with a ‘word of warning’ written from you as Harriet’s personal assistant. This section also includes your headshot which Harriet has defaced. Do you find that Harriet frequently overtakes your daily life? I’ve never actually thought of Horrible Harriet as ‘horrible’. She is in fact a freak. Different to everyone else and so the kids call her ‘Horrible Harriet’ and now she believes it. She isn’t a saint but really the things she does are merely attention seeking ploys. What she really wants is a friend. Fortunately Harriet hasn’t taken over my life, but I suspect that she would if she could. She is very bossy.

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